ANESTHESIA RESIDENCY PERSONAL STATEMENT

Beginning my third year of medical school, I tried to maintain an open mind when evaluating which specialty was an appropriate match for both my understanding of medicine and my enthusiasm to practice this specialty as a career. Anesthesiology provides the combination of the mental challenges seen in internal medicine with the direct, hands on approach of surgery into a concoction that fuels my desire to keep learning and practice medicine. The ability to experience and interact in a variety of cases and patient populations forces one to be remain knowledgeable and current in a wide array of medicine disciplines. I believe with the diversity available in anesthesia, I have an opportunity to work in field that will test my medical knowledge and creative skills to individualize patient care. [Fantastic! Jumps right in to say which specialty the applicant is interested in, no beating around the bush!]

Early in my clinical rotations, I had the opportunity to participate in the care of a middle age man, GK, admitted to the hospital for new onset diabetes mellitus and whose past medical history was significant only for schizophrenia. The attending physician was discussing with me the possible etiologies as to his high glucose level. My only other prior clinical rotation had been psychiatry; nevertheless, I felt proud offering the possibility that olanzapine may have been the cause of GK’s new onset diabetes. The feeling of providing a sensible explanation to GK’s recent events excited me to keep increasing my understanding of medicine. Being able to correlate clinical information from various fields of medicine to help explain the current situation, gave me a sense of accomplishment by utilizing all my education. As much as internal medicine stimulated me mentally, I needed a more direct involvement with patient’s care in order for me to feel a sense of accomplishment.

During my surgical rotation I discovered that it was more the seriousness and critical environment surrounding the procedure that excited me rather than the surgical techniques utilized. The grave possibilities of surgical intervention were made evident to me when I first met WT who was being treated for acute cholelithiasis. After introducing myself, I sat down and comforted her while waiting for the attending. During this hour and half, I was able to gain a glimpse into the type of person she was among her friends and family. I was present during her uneventful procedure and became enchanted with this woman. Unfortunately, I had almost completely dismissed my encounter with WT had she not returned to the surgical service for a revision of her aorto-bifemoral bypass graft. I peeked my head through the curtains and she recognized me immediately and quickly introduced me to family members. She had thanked me again for comforting her during her previous surgery and asked for the same level of care with her current operation. During her procedure, WT remained relatively stable until the first of her distal anastamoses were being connected to the femoral artery when she became dramatically hypotensive. The anesthesiologist immediately requested the nurse to call in another of his colleagues as he was preparing and debating whether to deliver epinephrine. I immediately tensed up and both the attending and resident looked at the head of the bed for explanations. The crash cart seal was broken and a rush of intensity crashed into the operating room. Within seconds, the tension in the operating room began to lessen, as her blood pressure began to rise to a more comfortable level. WT eventually survived the rest of procedure and was taken to the surgical ICU. The following two days, WT remained listless, yet her family kept me informed of her status and thanked me for my concerns for their loved one. Post-operative day three, WT was rushed back to the operating room in the evening, discovered to have necrotic bowels and eventually she passed away early the following morning. [A clinical and personal example really illustrates the candidate's reasons for pursuing the anesthesia. The story is to the point, and drives home the idea of the intensity of the operating room and the personal side of anesthesia]

It was through the relationship I had developed with WT and her family that helped to fortify the manner in which I wanted to practice medicine and carry out a relationship with my patients. I enjoyed the opportunity to individualize and personalize my patients rather than define them solely as an entity with an illness. I strive to gain and utilize a solid foundation of human biochemistry, disease pathophysiology, and medical pharmacology in order to assist my patients in their most critical moments of medical and surgical intervention. [Explains the lessons learned from the clinical experiences-- key to explain the relevance of any anecdotes included, and further builds on the goals of pursing anesthesia]

I am enthusiastic to train at a program that will provide a setting that blends both independence and support. Through independent problem solving and decision-making will I gain a heightened level of confidence in the care that I can provide for my patients. With this confidence in skills and knowledge, I will be able to practice the art of medicine more effectively than if I approached it as a rigorous science. I plan to utilize my training in anesthesiology to comfort and care for not only my patients but also their families in situations where they have entrusted their lives and bodies to hands of other caring physicians.